Jason Kidd Announces Retirement From NBA

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 14: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks high-fives teammate Jason Kidd #5 during a game against the Indiana Pacers on April 14, 2013 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)(Photo Credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images)

HOUSTON (CBS Houston) After 19 seasons of NBA trials and triumphs, basketball player Jason Kidd announced his retirement from the league on Monday.

According to CBSsports.com, the iconic point guard his ending his career as a professional basketball player and looks back on it with immense pride: “My time in professional basketball has been an incredible journey, but one that must come to an end after 19 years,” Kidd said in a statemtn. “As I reflect on my time with the four teams I represented in the NBA, I look back fondly at every season and thank each every one of my teammates and coaches that joined me on the court,” as stated on CBSsports.com.

“Veteran leadership on and off the court was a huge factor for our team that recorded 54 victories and an Atlantic Division crown,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said in a statement posted on CBSsports.com. “Jason provided an incredible voice inside our locker room and I considered it an honor to say I coached him.”

CBSsports.com also added: “A revolutionary point guard standing 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Kidd kind of pioneered the scoring, athletic creator role that we see guys like Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams and Derrick Rose excelling in today. Kidd had microfracture surgery in 2004 and lost some of that explosiveness and quickness that made him one of the toughest covers in the league.”